Good furniture can cost a lot of money and not all of us have the budget to commit to big-ticket items, such as a two-seater sofa or a beautiful armchair, so Facebook Marketplace-hunting we go. That is until we discovered Anticommitment.

The Sydney company launched in 2021, offering people beautiful furniture to rent – without having to spend a fortune. Founder Caillie Dunne tells Broadsheet the idea for the business came after she moved from Melbourne to Sydney.

“I [knew] it wasn’t going to be my forever house, so I wasn’t going to get furniture to last me for 10 years,” she says. “I was frustrated because I love design and wanted to have a playful, sustainable space – without having to commit so much money and get locked in [to owning something long-term].”

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Anticommitment drops a tightly curated edit of furniture and other homewares each month. Unlike bigger furniture rental companies, which typically seek to deck out your entire place, Anticommitment has a narrower focus: statement items that can transform a space.

The range includes coffee tables, vegan leather sofas, armchairs and bed frames, alongside lamps, artworks and full-length mirrors. The majority are vintage or designer pieces, mostly mid-century modern designs such as rattan chairs and elegant bar carts.

Once you’ve chosen an item, Anticommitment will deliver it to an address in Sydney. Then, you pay a monthly price – ranging from $7 to $45, depending on the item – until you’re ready to hand it back. And, if you’re not ready to let it go, you can either continue to rent it or pay the balance to own it.

Says Dunne: “We rent cars and fashion, so I thought – what about furniture? And what about not just renting out a bunch of minimalist stuff that will suit every customer, but rather statement, funky one-off pieces that one person will love today and, a year from now, someone else will love?”

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